Aria's POV
When a Luna turns cold, her heart begins to lose interest.
How disappointing that truth is.
"You're my mate. My Luna and it is your duty to give me an heir."
"But I no longer want to be your Luna." Immediately, his eyes goes dark.
The man I once chased, the man I once thought was my forever. Now, I feel nothing but exhaustion. My wolf, Kira, is quiet and withdrawn from the mate bond.
"I'm tired, Mateo," I say. "Tired of pretending this bond still means anything."
He frowns, jaw tight.
I reached out and finally got away from him.
"This marriage never existed." I say.
His expression hardens more. For a moment, I see the cold Alpha, not the man I once loved. Instead of rage, to my surprise, he speaks calmly.
"This is about Bella, isn't it?" he says. "You're letting jealousy cloud your judgment. I told you before, she's only a friend. A guest from Darkmoon Pack."
I let out a short, bitter laugh. "A friend? You touch your friends like that now?"
I turn and open the drawer beside me, and pull out a folded sheet of paper, the rejection form I prepared for the council. I slide it across the bed toward him.
"Here. I'm done, Mateo. I'll leave the Silvermoon Pack, and I want the company shares I'm entitled to.
He stares at the document, brows knitting together. His tone drips with coldness.
"Half of Silver Moon Holdings ?" His lips curl. "You've grown bold, Aria. Stop this madness."
The words sting, but I keep my voice steady. "Call it what you want. I gave you my years, my loyalty, and my heart. You gave me nothing but shame. This is balance, Mateo. You can have your lover. I'll have my peace."
His eyes flash with dominance, his wolf pushing through. "There will be no rejection," he says coldly. "You're my Luna, and this bond stays until I say otherwise."
I meet his gaze without flinching. "Then you'll be living with a Luna who doesn't want you. I hope you know what that means?"
Grabbing his robe without a word, he turns and storms out, "You'll change your mind by morning. You can't imagine your life without me." He mutters as he finally shuts the door.
At sunrise, I pushed down my worries from yesterday. It's a new day and I wouldn't want it to be ruined. I avoided Mateo and did my best not to set an eye on him unlike before where my life revolved around him and I would always want to have him around.
I left the pack house early without my personal driver Leah or even any of the pack drivers, heading to the pack council building to sort out some important matters about this marriage.
But my mind kept drifting to Mateo's words from the previous day where he made mention that I'll always come back to him and can't do without him. In the past, I always did.
I'd always thought that our marriage would grow from not just some alliance but something real and loving and that's why all I did was to love him with all my heart despite seeing the red flags and choosing not to walk away.
I thought being patient with him would help him build his heart to love me but it was all a misconception.
Later that evening, after a long and tense council session where I, the Alphas from different packs and Lunas, council members debated over land boundaries and trade. The meeting was chaotic and Mateo, who didn't like my decision, made it hard for me there.
After the meeting, I retreated to my office.
My head pounds from the hectic mess as I drop into my chair. It feels like my energy is slowly draining away.
"Luna?" my assistant, Leah, enters softly. "Alpha Lucian Vale wishes to speak with you. He said it's urgent. Should I send him in?"
Lucian Vale? That's Mateo's best friend, Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack and best friend to Mateo. He's the pack family lawyer, an alpha lawyer loyal to Mateo's father long before Mateo took the Alpha title.
I sigh. "Let him in."
Immediately, he steps in. As always, he is dressed handsomely in his luxury black suit, a red tie and a shoe that fits. His long hair tied in a bun, his sharp mesmerizing blue eyes locked on me as he approached, his 6.7 fit height and alpha aura filled the room.
He finally met my eyes as he took a seat in front of me without any word from me.
"Luna." He called. Before he could say another word, I spoke.
"Miss Aria. Call me Aria." I corrected it.
A short brief smirk left his lips but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Aria." He called.
He places a file on the table. "I heard you drafted the rejection document. Look, If you go through with this rejection, you forfeit the protection of Silvermoon. You will be on the losing end. A rogue."
His words cut deep but I didn't let it get to me.
"Even if I leave the pack and become a rogue, I can still live in human society."
Here, humans and werewolves exist together, but life for us as a werewolf is very different. Werewolves live in packs. Packs have rules, leaders, and families you are expected to follow the pack rules but right now? I'm an orphan and I do not care where I live. All I want is my sanity and peace. And the human world would give me that.
Lucian studied me for a long moment, but suddenly, I saw the emotions in his eyes. As if he has a lot to ask about my decision.
"Aria…" he called, leaning forward. "I know how much you love Mateo… You used to love him shamelessly… What happened?"
"Love doesn't live in chains. Mine did and I want it free." I say.
He leaned back and after a brief pause, as if he was weighing my spoken words, he spoke again.
"Alphas like Mateo rarely let go. Mateo won't take this lightly."
His words sink deep as my lips let out a faint, bitter smile.
Lucian looked at me and before he could respond, the familiar pull of dominance, the scent of Mateo filled the air behind me as I lifted my face only to see Mateo at the door and instantly, that hate and irritation bubbled up my chest again.